Page 7 - Palm City Spotlight - July '20
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      In Your Community from page 6                      and worked tirelessly to encourage fathers to be active and
                                                         present in all phases of their children’s lives. Too often,
      Five Ways To Be The Best                           mothers raise children alone. The absence of a father usually
                                                         has a negative effect on children.
      Father You Can Be                                    The FCRC’s mission is to educate fathers on how to have
                                                         a supportive role in their children’s lives, regardless of the
      By Drew Gray, Fatherhood Educator, The David Cardno   family circumstances. In honor of David Cardno, who passed
      Father & Child Resource Center at Martin County Healthy   away in October 2015, and Father’s Day, we have created
      Start Coalition                                    some tips: “Five ways to be the best father you can be.”
        Although Father’s Day is celebrated officially once a     Please reach out to the Father & Child Resource Center
      year, there are 365 days in the year to be a great dad. As   if you are seeking counsel regarding your children. Learn
      the educator of the David Cardno Father & Child Resource   more at www.mchealthystart.org.
      Center Martin County Healthy Start Coalition, I wanted to     1. Taking care of yourself is the most important thing you
      share some insights as to every dad can be the best father   can do as a father. If fathers cannot take care of themselves,
      possible.                                          how can they take care of their children? As fathers, we need
        David Cardno founded the Father & Child Resource   to take care of ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically
      Center (FCRC) in July 2000 as a part of the Martin County   and spiritually. We need to eat right and exercise. Don’t
      Healthy Start Coalition. The Father & Child Resource   be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Mental health is
      Center’s mission is to promote responsible fatherhood in the   essential and vital to our physical health. We will have
      community. We greatly appreciate the funding that we receive   better relationships with our children when we are active
      from The Children’s Services Council of Martin County.  and healthy.
        David espoused the virtues of a two-parent household     Create time for yourself. We don’t have to be around our











                                                                                                           Drew Gray, fatherhood educator of the David Cardno Father
                                                                                                           & Child Resource Center in Stuart, makes time to play with
                                                                                                           his daughter Rylie at Flagler Park.
                                                                                                                                  Photo by Beverly Bevis Jones

                                                                                                           kids 24/7 to be good fathers. Take time to cultivate your
                                                                                                           hobbies and interests. Allow time to unwind and recharge.
                                                                                                           This same advice applies to your partner.
                                                                                                             2. Spend quality time with your children every day.
                                                                                                           Arrange an activity that is fun or meaningful with your child.
                                                                                                           It can be something as simple as reading a book at night with
                                                                                                           them or taking them to the park.
                                                                                                             Enjoy seeing the world through their eyes. Life is busy,
                                                                                                           and it seems like there are always a million things to do.
                                                                                                           Those things can wait. “Life is but a vapor.” Children grow
                                                                                                           up so fast, and you can’t regain missed opportunities.
                                                                                                             3. Be a role model. Remember, children see so much more
                                                                                                           than you realize. They are always watching and absorbing
                                                                                                           everything we do. No parent is perfect, but we should strive
                                                                                                           to be a constructive parent in our children’s lives. Live your
                                                                                                           own life responsibly and honestly as an example for them
                                                                                                           to follow.
                                                                                                             Show your daughter how a true gentleman acts. Let her
                                                                                                           understand that she deserves to be treated with respect and
                                                                                                           how a future partner should treat her.
                                                                                                             4. Eat together as a family. This simple practice has
                                                                                                           a profound effect on children as they grow up. It provides
                                                                                                           structure and time for fathers to listen to their children
                                                                                                           and offer advice. Children can talk openly and let their
                                                                                                           fathers know what’s going on in their lives. Fathers have an
                                                                                                           opportunity to engage with their children and understand
                                                                                                           them better.
                                                                                                             5. Discipline with love. Too often, discipline is correlated
                                                                                                           and confused with punishment. We have all heard the phrase,
                                                                                                           “just wait ‘til your father gets home.” This threat creates
                                                                                                           an image of fathers as the enforcer of punishment, and
                                                                                                           that should not be the case. Children need discipline, not
                                                                                                           punishment.
                                                                                                             We want to set limits for our children and make sure they
                                                                                                           understand there are consequences for their actions. Express
                                                                                                           yourself calmly and reasonably. Instead of learning from
                                                                                                           fear of punishment, our children should learn from the love,
                                                                                                           respect and guidance they are given.
                                                                                                           About Martin County Healthy Start Coalition
                                                                                                             Martin County Healthy Start Coalition is a nonprofit
                                                                                                           501(c)3 offering support and education to pregnant women,
                                                                                                           infants and their families. All of our services are confidential,
                                                                                                           free of charge and not income-based.
                                                                                                             Martin County’s Healthy Start Coalition opened its doors
                                                                                                           in February 1993 when Governor and First Lady Lawton
                                                                                                           Chiles challenged local communities to form coalitions to
                                                                                                           reduce Florida’s alarmingly high infant mortality rate.
                                                                                                             The Martin County Healthy Start Coalition continued to
                                                                                                           grow with the Prenatal Outreach Center’s opening in July
                                                                                                           2007. The Prenatal Outreach Center is located in Stuart
                                                                                                           and expanded with a satellite site in Indiantown in 2017.
                                                                                                           Martin County Healthy Start Coalition has helped over
                                                                                                           1,500 women in Martin County access prenatal care from
                                                                                                           these two locations.
                                                                                                             The coalition’s task is to provide high-quality prenatal
                                                                                                           care for mothers, health care for children and bridging any
                                                                                                           gaps in this care locally. As a true coalition functions, we
                                                                                                           know only together can we improve outcomes for women and
                                                                                  See answer in this paper.  babies. We invite you to be a force for change in improving
                                                                                                           the health and well-being of our families.
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